During the season of Advent, I am going to do something new on the blog. I am going to try my best to offer a daily reflection here as we journey through this season together. To help frame the devotions I have been using hashtags designed by a group with the Episcopalian church. For example, the hashtag assigned for today is #Baptize.

Today is December 12^th. In the church, it is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In my family, it is my father’s birthday. Today is a day of celebration.

As we continue our journey through Advent, I wanted to pause today, a Friday and express some gratitude.

I am grateful for my Dad. I am grateful for his love, his continued support, partnership collaboration, way of seeing the best in people and making things happen in amazing and exciting ways. He is one of the best visionary leaders I know with one of the biggest hearts to boot. When I have asked in the past why he does what he does, I generally have always known his answer. It’s because he feels called to serve and sees his work and roles as his vocation in the world.

That vocation and calling is one that begins at birth, but I believe really gets affirmed through the act of baptism. Through the water and the Word, people are claimed as beautiful, beloved and created Child of God. Through this I believe people are called.

I am thinking of baptism with John the Baptist in mind. In the Gospel of John (John 1:19-28) we hear:

“‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’

In hearing this passage, what does it mean to baptize? What does it look like?

As for me, I believe and know that I was baptized through the water and the Word, and claimed as a beautiful, beloved and created Child of God. I was called, and continue to be called to ventures I may not yet recognize. With this in mind, I am grateful for both my parents who continually help me remember this. On this day, I am especially grateful for my Dad for continuing to show me what good leadership is and more importantly what vision, love and  grace look like in daily life.

Happy Birthday Dad, I love you and am grateful for you every day!